Nagler presents $86.1M budget

Laura Cerrone

Mineola Superintendent of Schools Michael Nagler presented a proposed 2013-2014 budget Thursday night of $86,143,656, a 2.56 percent year-to-year budget increase over the current $83.99 million budget. 

Nagler attributed the bulk of the budget increase to rising employee pension and health insurance costs.

“To kind of put that into perspective for you our pension and health costs, in dollars, was $2.8 million,” Nagler said at the board’s regularly scheduled meeting.

Nagler said only $380,000 of the increase is not related to pension and health-care costs.

Nagler recommended keeping the 2013-14 tax levy at $76.24 million – a 2.20 percent increase – and returning $250,000 to district taxpayers. The district administration had projected a maximum tax levy increase of 2.53 percent to stay within the state-mandated tax cap.

“I have not seen any district lower than that,” Nagler said.

After the meeting, board Trustee Artie Barnett spoke favorably of Nagler’s recommendation on keeping the tax levy increase low, saying, “We‘re staying within our cap. And this year, we’re going beneath our cap.”

Nagler said there will be no changes in the current curriculum or technology program. He said staff and professional development will be maintained as well.

Nagler said he wants to increase security in all the schools by adding cameras, door jams. To improve on security the district will be tapping in to the $25,000 grant received from state Sen. Jack Martins last year and $75,000 leftover from the facilities budget. Nagler also recommended an additional of $50,000 to be transferred from other accounts to cover the security upgrades.

Nagler said a five-year bus replacement plan has been developed to finance a new fleet of buses and vans by 2017. He said he would present an overview of the bus replacement plan at the next board meeting. Two new vans he said the district needs are factored into the equipment needs of $217,000 in the proposed 2013-14 budget.

The board meeting opened with the presentation of the Apple Distinguished Program academic award. 

The Mineola School District received this award based on its exemplary use of Apple technology in their classrooms.

“The district will join fewer than 200 schools across the nation, and programs that Apple recognizes in the United States, and is the only one in Nassau County,” said Apple representative Larry Shap, who made the presentation.

Students in the middle school and elementary schools have been given iPads to aid in coursework. Several middle school students presented the science projects they have worked on in class using their iPads linked with science materials. 

Using applications such as Edmodo and Sparkview, students said they can access their labs, fill out data, cast predictions, and e-mail their work to their teacher to be graded.

Several fourth grade students presented their lab work on creating an electrical circuit. Fifth graders presented their lab work on the temperature of ice as it melts. Sixth and seventh graders shared their experience dissecting frogs and pigs and learning about anatomy and organ functions.

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